Sheet handling apparatus



Jan. 26, 1954 c. E. PARKER SHEET HANDLING APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet l iFiled Sept. l, 1951 INVENTOR.

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Jan. 26, 1954 C. PARKER SHEET HANDLING APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet n 2Filed Sept. l, 1951 Jan. 26, 1954 c. E. PARKER 2,667,259

SHEET HANDLING APPARATUS Filed Sept. l, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 D T e 0 R.MPN- m E m A WP e HIIIII IE 5 z M m |I n C iw mr w a IIIIUUIII. m mln'6. .m r 25 i 77 Jm m v e. Q 0 w Jan. 26, 1954 c. E. PARKER SHEETHANDLING APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Sept. l, 1951 Patented Jan.26, l954 UNITED STATES PATENT oEEicE SHEET HANDLING APPARATUS ClarenceE. Parker, Painesvlle, Ohio, assigner to VThe Coe Manufacturing Company,Paincsville, Ohio, a. corporation of Ohio y Application September 1,1951, Serial No. 244,843

(c1. ies- 33) 2 Claims.

The present invention relates to sheet material handling apparatus and,more particularly, to apparatus for overturning sheets of material, suchas plasterboard, during the manufacture thereof.

Plasterboard is usually manufactured in long lengths on plasterboardmachines and while still wet cut into smaller sizes, after which theseplasterboard units are fed into a multiple deck drier, etc. for furtherprocessing. During manufacture, one surface of the plasterboard isordinarily made smoother than the other surface to provide a finishedwall surface of a room or the like and this side of the plasterboard isreferred to as the nished side or surface. To prevent the finishedsurfaces from becoming marred or dirty, etc., pairs of plasterboards areusually placed with the finished surfaces thereof together immediatelyafter the plasterboards leave the drier.

The principal object of the present invention is the provision of a newand improved apparatus for overturning one plasterboard vunit or thelike onto another to place -thenshed surfaces together, which apparatusincludes a conveyor for transporting vplasterboards in-a generallyhorizontal plane, and a member associated with the conveyor and normallybelow the planeA of travel of the plasterboards, which member is adaptedto be power moved upwardly to raise one end or side of a plasterboardunit to thereby cause the plasterboard to be overturned, and preferablythe plasterboards travel on the conveyor in closely spacedpairs and theoverturning member is synchronized withA the conveyor andY controlled bythe plasterboard thereon to overturn only the leading plasterboards ofeach pair of plasterboards.V

Another object of the invention is the provision of a new and Vimprovedapparatus of the character described having the board turning memberextending transversely of the conveyor and supported by powerdriven'arms which are normally below the level of the conveyor top andthe sides of the conveyor are accessible to enable plasterboards to beremoved fromV the sides of the conveyor, if desired.

A still further object of the invention Yis the provision of a new andimproved apparatus of the character described which has power means toraise and lower the board turning member rapidly but with a minimum ofshock to the plasterboards and the parts of the apparatus The inventionresides in certain constructions and combinations and arrangementsofparts and 5.5. Sheet--matg1ralnd Marionssunmanagers.;19s

2 further objects and advant,ages..will.be apparent to those skilled inthe art to which it relates from the following description of, thepreferred embodiment described withreference tothe accompanying drawingsforming a part of this specification, in which,

Figs. 1 and 2 are elevational side views of a plasterboard turnerapparatus embodying the invention, and showing certain parts of theapparatus in different positions;

Fig. 3 is a plan view o`f;the turner apparatus; Fig. 4 is an end View ofthe4 turner apparatus; Fig. 5 is a fragmentary plan ViewY of theplasterboard conveyor section of anV unloader mechanism of aplasterboard drier vand ay combination discharge table and transfersection mechanism for transferring plasterboards from the drier to theconveyor section ofthe plasterboard turner apparatus;

Fig. 6 is a View taken substantially along line 6-6 of Fig. 5 andshowing certain parts broken away;

Fig. '7 is a sectional view ltaken Vsubstantially alo-ng line 1--1 ofFig. 3 buton a larger scale; and K. H

Fig. 8 is a sectional view. taken substantially along line 3-8 of Fig.'7.1

The invention contemplates apparatus' particularly suitable foroverturning one of a pair of plasterboards moving sidewise. and intandem from an unloading rack orotherapparatus with the finishedsurfaces thereof facing upwardly so that'the finished surface of theoverturned board rests on the finished surface'of the otherv of theVpair. In general, the invention contemplates the provision of a conveyorarrangedto move plasterboard units, preferably in pairs arranged intandem, and which conveyor has also-called board turning member lyingtransversely' of the path of movement of the boards which is raised andlowered relative to the" conveyor by suitable mechanism so that theforward edge ofthe leading plasterboard may be raised to cause theboardto topple rearwardly onto the following plasterboard when the lower edgemoves beneath the member on thegconveyor.-V ,Themechanism to raise andlower the-boardturning-member is controlled by means responsive to theposition of the plasterboards on the conveyor so that the board turningmember is raised and lowered in proper sequence to effect *plasterboardAturning without otherwise interfering with the boards.

Although the invention may-be employed in an apparatus for overturningJdifferent types of the purpose of illustration it is herein shownembodied in an apparatus A for overturning plasterboard. The apparatus Acomprises a table-like structure I having a power driven conveyor at thetop thereof which includes a series of parallel endless belts II whichare each supported by series of spaced wheels I2, I3 attached to shaftsI4, I5 suitably journalled on the table I6. The upper reaches of theconveyor belts II ride on a support plate or table top I6 and they serveto transport plasterboards B in a horizontal plane when the wheels I2,I3 are driven.

Preferably the shaft I4 is driven by an electric motor I1 which issupported by the table I0 and which is constantly energized during theoperation of the apparatus and drives the shaft clockwise, as viewed inFig. 1, thereby moving plasterboards along the conveyor as indicated bythe arrows b.

The table I0 includes an overhanging structure at one end, comprisinga'plurality of L-shape bars pivoted by bearings 2| formed at the ends ofthe feet thereof and journalled on the shaft I4. The bars 26 arenormally held with the longer portions thereof horizontal by tensionsprings 23 which are arranged to draw the bars counterclockwise, as seenin Fig. 2, and against suitable stops. The bars 20 thus form supportsfor plasterboards moving from the right-hand end of the conveyor tablebut can be deflected downwardly on occasions described hereinafter.

A board turning member 30 extends transversely of the right-hand end ofthe conveyor table and adjacent to the ends of the upper reaches of thebelts II. The member 30 is journalled at its ends in bearings in theends of a pair of arms 3|, 3|', which are pivoted by bearings 32, 32 onstandards 33, 33' supported on opposite sides of the table I0. The arms3|, 3| are swung in unison about their pivots to raise and lower themember 30 by power means which includes a pair of cams 34, 34' attachedto opposite ends of a shaft 35 rotatably supported on the lowerstructure of table I0. The cams 34, 34 are connected to the arms 3|, 3|by connecting links 36, 36', the free ends of which have flanged wheels31 which ride on the cams. Links 38 interconnect the respectivelinks 36,36 and the standards 33, 33 to hold the latter mentioned links to thecams., The cams are shaped l plasterboards on December 1, 1944.

soV that as they rotate through 360 they move the `arms 3|, '3|' fromthe position shown in Fig. 1 to that shown in Fig. 2, and return. The

cams preferably provide a slight dwell when the arms are uppermost.Preferably, the member '30 is counterbalanced somewhat by springs 39,

39 attached to the arms 3|,. 3I; the weight of, member 30, however,causes the'links 36, 36 to `ride on the cams at all times. As seen inFig. 2, when the member 36 is in its lowermost position,

its top is at or below the level of the upper reach of the conveyorbelts II and it depresses the bars 20.

The shaft 35 is adapted to be rotated inter- `mittently through 360 by asingle revolution clutch further-includes a latch member 41 which fripheries of the rollers 66.

4 is spring biased to engage a shoulder 48 on a cam 49 to lock thedriven sprocket 44 against rotation in one direction, and the latchmember is adapted to be released from the shoulder by a solenoid 56. Theoperation of the clutch is such that the driven sprocket 44 rotatesthrough 360 only, each time the` latch member 41 is tripped by thesolenoid. A second cam 5I is connected with shaft 42 and has a shoulder52 adapted to be engaged by a roller carrying lever 53 spring pressed tohold the roller to the periphery of the cam and to cooperate with thecam shoulder to maintain the cam in a position to cause the shoulder 48of cam 43 to bear slightly against the latch 41. The circuit for thesolenoid includes power lines LI, L2, and it is controlled by a normallyopen switch 54.

VThe driven sprocket 44 drives the shaft 35 for the cams 3|, 3|' througha chain 55 and sprocket Y 56 which is connected to the shaft. Thediameters of the sprockets 44 and 56 are the same, so that the shaft 35is rotated through 360 only each time the clutch latch 41 is actuated.

The switch 54 for controlling the operation of the clutch is preferablylocated at one side of the table I0 and is adapted to be closed by a cam56 on a shaft 51 which is journalled on the table structure and extendstransversely of the conveyor. The shaft 51 has two curved ngers 58, 59which normally projectabove the conveyor belts II and are adapted to be-depressed by the belts to rock the shaft and close switch 54. The shaft51 is resiliently urged to a position to hold the fingers in the path ofthe plasterboards by suitable springs, not shown.

Plasterboards are adapted to be fed onto the conveyor belts II in pairsmoving sidewise and in tandem, the space between the plasterboards ofeach pair preferably being about 12 inches or less. Preferably,plasterboards are removed from a drier by an unloading mechanism, partof which is shown at U, and discharged side by side onto a combinationdischarge table and transfer section 'I'. The details of the unloader Uand transfer section T are more fully described in my copendingapplication SerialV No. 566,060, filed Suffice to say, a pair of driedplaster-boards move side by side with the finished surfaces upwardlyalong the conveyor section of the unloader U and onto the split rollers66 of the transverse section T. The plasterboards roll freely on therollers 60 until they Vengage stop mechanisms 52. At this point theplasterboards are side by side and approximately twelve inches apart.The transfer includes a number of endless belts 63 which extend normalto the direction of travel of the plasterboards on the rollers 6i) andthey extend around pulleys 64, 65 located at opposite sides of thedischarge table on shafts 66,61, and the upper reaches of the belts aresupported on l-b'eams 58 and are normally slightly below the plane ofthe upper pe- The I-beams ISB are supported on transverse beams 63 and10 which are carried by bell crank levers 1|. The levers 1I are rotatedby a pneumatic motor 12 to raise and lower the beams 69, 16 therebycausing the I-beams 68 to'raise the upper reaches Vof belts 63 above therollers 6I) and move the plasterboards sidewise onto the conveyor beltsI, when the levers are moved in one direction. The pulley shaft 61 isdriven by a motor 13 and the rate of travel of the belts 63 is the sameas that of the beltsII. Y'

- In operation,-pairs of :plasterboards B having I their finishedsurfaces uppermost, move sidewise and in closely spaced tandem relationfrom the transfer mechanism T onto the conveyor belts The leading boardB depresses the fingers 58, 59 causing the switch 54 to close andenergize the solenoid 50, which releases the clutch 41 and causes cams34, 34 to rotate through one complete revolution only. The upwardmovement of the arms 3|, 3|', and consequently the member 30, by thecams 34, 34' is synchronized with the travel of the conveyor belts I sothat the leading plasterboard is over the member 30 at the time thelatter begins its upward movement. As the member 30 moves upwardly itraises the forward edge of the leading plasterboard, and since only thelower edge of the plasterboard now engages the belts slippage occursbetween it and the belts until the next or following plasterboard engages the trailing edge of the leading plasterboard and urges itforwardly and upwardly on the roller 30. It will be noted that themember 30 comprises a roller which permits the leading board to rollthereon with a minimum of resistance. As the following board moves thelower end of the leading board beneath the upraised member 30, theleading board topples rearwardly, nished face downwardly, onto thefollowing board and the two boards are then carried by the conveyorbelts beneath the raised member 30 and onto a suitable transfermechanism R, after which the arms 3|, 3|' lower the member 30 to theposition shown in Fig. 1 prior to the time the succeeding pair ofplasterboards reach the fingers 58, 59.

The use of cams to actuate the arms 3|, 3| has the advantage ofcontrolling the oscillatory movement of the arms about their pivots sothat the member 30 is moved at maximum speed but with a movement whichminimizes the possibility of damage to the plasterboards. That is tosay, the contours of the cams 34, 34' as may be seen in the drawings,are such that the initial upward movement of the member 30 is gradual sothat the movement imparted to the plasterboard is not such as to crackor otherwise damage the plasterboard. Likewise, the member 30 isdecelerated as it approaches its uppermost and lowermost positionsthereby avoiding shocks to the parts of the apparatus. Furthermore, theactuating mechanism for the arms 3|, 3 is normally below the upper levelof the conveyor belts so that access may be had to the conveyor beltsfrom the sides of the conveyor which facilitates removal of defectiveplasterboards.

It will be apparent that the objects and advantages enumerated have beenachieved, as well as others, and that there is provided a new andimproved board turning mechanism which is relatively simple in operationand which is capable of automatically overturning one of two 6 Themanner in which the board turning mechanism operates enables it tooperate at a maximum speed with a minimum possibility of injury to thematerial handled thereby.

While the preferred form of the invention has been described inconsiderable detail, it will be apparent that the invention is notlimited to the constructions shown and it is my intention to coverhereby all adaptations, modifications and changes therein which comewithin the practice of those skilled in the art to which the inventionrelates and the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. Apparatus for turning plasterboard and the like comprising, aconveyor adapted to move plasterboard units therealong in a generallyhorizontal plane, a member associated with the conveyor and normallybelow the plane of travel of the plasterboard, power actuated means toelevate said member above said plane to raise the leading edge of aplasterboard vertically from said conveyor with the trailing edgeremaining thereon, said means including a lever normally extending inthe direction of movement of said conveyor, means for connecting saidmember to the forward end of said lever, means for supporting said leverfor rotation about an axis spaced rearwardly of said member when in itsnormal position and extending transversely of the path of travel of theplasterboard, a cam, a link interconnecting said cam and lever for Yswinging said lever on its pivot, and means retandem boards or sheetmaterial onto the other.

sponsive to the presence of a plasterboard on said conveyor forintermittently rotating said cam.

2. Apparatus for turning plasterboard and the like comprising, aconveyor adapted to move plasterboard units therealong in a generallyhorizontal plane, a pair of pivoted arms at opposite sides of saidconveyor, a member attached to said arms and extending transversely ofsaid conveyor and adapted to be swung from a position below the plane oftravel of the plasterboard on said conveyor, cam means to operate saidarms during a predetermined angular rotation thereof to raise and lowersaid member, means operable intermittently to drive said cam throughsaid predetermined degree only, and means responsive to a plasterboardunit on said conveyor to initiate operation of the rst-mentioned means.

CLARENCE E. PARKER.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 1,859,486 Aimes May 24, 1932 1,859,501 Durbin May 24, 19322,255,635 Walter Sept. 9, 1941 2,293,192 Campbell Aug. 18, 19422,581,598 Parker Jan. 8, 1952

